A real market urbanism looks like an organic system, where as many distortions as possible are removed and we’re left with irrational, fallible humans transacting with each other as freely as possible. There is good reason to correlate that with the traditional development pattern.
Read MoreWhen we do the math, we find that preserving historic buildings and districts is the best thing we can do for our cities’ economic futures. Utica, New York should consider this when choosing where to locate a new hospital campus.
Read MoreAs an engineer, I once had property owners turn out en masse to oppose a project I was working on that would fix their potholed street and broken sidewalks. Find out why—and one key policy change that might have led to a different response.
Read MoreYour Strong Towns Knowledge Base question of the week, answered here.
Read MoreCity officials often ask, “What target price point for new homes will ensure that we can balance our books?” Here’s why they’re asking the wrong question.
Read MoreAll over North America, poor neighborhoods often punch above their weight when it comes to contributing real value and resilience to their cities—in both financial productivity and other, less quantifiable strengths.
Read MoreLocal governments can’t take on more and more promises without generating enough wealth to meet those obligations—not without a reckoning. We need a radical revolution in how we plan, manage, and inhabit our cities, counties, and neighborhoods. We need a Strong Towns approach.
Read MoreThe closing of the mall’s anchor store exposes how fragile the community’s business model is, providing an opening to shift approach.
Read More3 dollars and cents arguments that definitively prove the need for people-oriented, walk-friendly places.
Read MoreIn New Hampshire, the state charges local planning boards with looking at whether the zoning they have created is going to make a town prosperous. This implies a clear obligation to do the math on costs and benefits of new development.
Read MoreJordan Clark and Felix Landry of Verdunity discuss the importance of understanding the fiscal consequences of our development patterns, as well as the ways that cities can use map-based fiscal analysis to make more holistic land use decisions.
Read MoreIf your growth strategy only works as long as wealthy people live in your town, your growth strategy is deeply fragile.
Read MoreDevelopment impact fees are supposed to “make development pay its own way.” But if your development pattern is fundamentally unproductive, they don’t. They’re a one-time cash hit in exchange for taking on a permanent liability.
Read MoreLocal governments can’t take on more and more promises without generating enough wealth to meet those obligations—not without a reckoning. We need a radical revolution in how we plan, manage, and inhabit our cities, counties, and neighborhoods. We need a Strong Towns approach.
Read MoreCommunities like Cobb County must address the problems that have plagued them from the outset by encouraging the style of development that produces true value per acre.
Read MoreWhen a city annexes surrounding land, it’s usually touted as a benefit for residents and municipal budgets. This could not be further from the truth. Here’s the data to prove it.
Read More70 years ago, these two historic cities were on a similar path. Then one fell into debt while the other was swimming in money. You might be surprised by what they each look like today.
Read MoreThe scale and value of what we’ve sacrificed in order to build parking lots and highways is staggering. Only by understanding that loss can we figure out how to build stronger towns.
Read MoreNew maps from Urban3 visualize the shocking disparities in who is actually footing municipal bills in California.
Read MoreWhat would the opposite of the Strong Towns approach look like?
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